To be finding the Labour government really hard on my mental health (ironically given Wes Streeting's latest)

[Everythingisnumbersnow]

Why can't they talk about reforms and improvements without having a go at ordinary people?

Is mental illness over diagnosed (as Streeting claims) or is modern life just really really shit and a lot of us are unwell as a result?

im currently waiting to see a new private psychiatrist because my old one took on an NHS contract and now is totally unusable (no need to even mention the NHS services available, we all know the score there). I work and I don't expect any special treatment but it would be nice if the bloody government stopped slagging me off for trying to remain functional.

Well. Anxiety makes my life terrible. I would prefer not to have been born (that's not a symptom of an illness, it's a reaction to illness). I think it would be damn arrogant of me to try to gatekeep this feeling. If I feel this way why shouldn't others? Life is bad. Ive never really understood why having children isn't approached with more of a feeling of guilt. Filling the void of your sorrow in a way that will force someone else to experience all that.

I'm told this is an unusual world view. I guess it must be. But how can I possibly know? And how can you?

I have had mental health struggles in the past, talking therapy and antidepressants. I felt shite because my life was shite. Now my life is much better and I don't feel shite and I happily bob along in the world. Was I misdiagnosed? No, I needed help for a brief period of time and I got it because at the time the NHS was better funded and not overwhelmed. Life can be very tricky sometimes and we need to be resilient and there is also a place for short, sharp interventions when we need a helping hand. For me the key is early intervention, in psychological medicine as in all medicine. Early intervention means problems can be sorted out before people are overwhelmed. Unfortunately the NHS isn't able to do that now for enough people.

And what is supportive about telling people that they're perfectly fine when they're not

Surely the idea is to find out if and what might help them back into work? Some people will never be able to work. Many will, though, and shouldn’t just be written off. If they can, it’s beneficial to them personally and to society as a whole.

Or are you suggesting that hundreds of thousands of young people should just give up hope of that and be consigned to a life on benefits?

Very much a divide and conquer approach going on by Labour at the moment. You can see from the replies on this thread that people think mental health isn’t a big thing and people should get on with it and pay their taxes. How about Labour go after the big corporations and find money that way? Sad state of affairs when we can’t look after the most vulnerable in our society and people applaud these cuts.

I wonder if those numbers are rising as life is actually getting harder ? Cost of living etc.

Im also not convinced it’s massively different to historical levels that just weren’t talked about..

A few decades back we had “mummy’s little helper” Valium.
And Gin. Mothers ruin.

Why are you struggling with the distinction between supporting people to work and pretending there's no reason for them to be unable to work?

He is right it is over diagnosed and we need to do something to cut the welfare bill. Welfare bill is unsustainable and an increasing burden on the economy. The implications of which will have an impact on all not just those who are ill.

Yes there needs to be more support for people with MH conditions but people also need to take some responsibility for getting better, but most don't choosing to blame the system and expect someone else to fix it.

And no that's no uncompassionate - i have had several periods of MH issues in my life and the turn around came in part from councillors and in part from me taking responsibility, eating better, exercising as its known to support mental health, building a healthy social life built on connection and continuing to work in order to have purpose each day.

I agree with Streeting and I agree with the government’s plan to cut the benefits bill. In fact I think they are being over cautious and should be more ambitious as 6 billion in savings is not going to help much when the forecast for 2030 is a 100 billion bill. Imagine what that money could do if spent on education, healthcare or social care.
I would completely abolish pip and completely reform the system.

you can call me a hateful troll or a nasty person op, I’m still going to say what I think and what a lot of people don’t want to say out loud.

you would abolish financial support for people paralysed from the neck down to pay for even a modicum of quality of life?

You seem so pleasant I'm devastated we're not friends.

Just because someone thinks Streeting might be making some valid points doesn't mean they're getting a malicious thrill.

I’m not? I’ve literally just said that some people will never be able to work.

You clearly have a very, very rigid mindset. Anyone disagreeing with you is worthy it seems of unjustified abuse. It’s perfectly possible to disagree politely about most things.

So, all the best to you going forward.

I forget how totally incapable of empathy some people are. Until fate comes for them, as it inevitably will one way or another.

The welfare bill is unsustainable and predicted to get significantly worse. Therefore something needs to be done and I think they need to look at all benefits to see if things need to change. This makes lots of people uncomfortable and want the changes to affect other people and not them, however this needs to happen.
This isn’t about bashing disabled people but the current situation is not sustainable.
Surely it’s also a good thing for people who could work to get support to enable them to work.

And you don't think maybe you were lucky to have quite a mild illness as opposed to a lifelong one?

you would abolish financial support for people paralysed from the neck down to pay for even a modicum of quality of life

No-one, certainly not Booksaresick, is suggesting any such thing.

I'm not entirely convinced that fleetingly wishing you were dead isn't something if a normal human experience anyway.

She just said she'd abolish PIP. That's what PIP does.

Are you aware of how long the waiting lists currently are for any sort of therapy ? Eating well and going for walks is a bit moot if you can’t access actual therapy.

I understand OP. I am mentally unwell and have a disabled relative whom I care for, so a lot of what Streeting and co. have been blathering on about feels oddly personal. If my (physically disabled) relative loses PIP, I don't know what we will do. It worries me.

Exactly this (sorry, OP), and I say this as someone who was offered SSRIs by a GP when in fact I'd developed a chronic hormone deficiency that they'd failed to diagnose. I'm pretty sure more than a handful of people are taking SSRIs basically to feel better about still being ill. Giving GPS more time and resources to get to the bottom of issues would be good.

How long is fleeting? And would you support people who want to die to be assisted to do it? Human instinct, right, why not. Would really save on that pesky benefits bill.

I think a lot of families will be thrown into destitution and a lot of the smug "I don't pay my taxes for them" types will get a harsh reintroduction to the experience of living alongside desperate people.

Everythingisnumbersnow · Today 16:17
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I forget how totally incapable of empathy some people are. Until fate comes for them, as it inevitably will one way or another.

The difficulty is, Everythingisnumbersnow, empathy to you appears to mean completely agreeing with your point of view. No-one is right about everything, all of the time.

You have no idea about the personal circumstances of other posters, either. It’s rather arrogant of you to assume that “fate”hasn’t already done so but they simply hold a different opinion to you.

And would you support people who want to die to be assisted to do it?

I absolutely would, in certain circumstances, when it is nothing short of cruel to deny that right.

Really hope that passes into law.

Eventually when more and more people are saying diagnosed with the same mental illness is it an illness anymore or is that the new normal state of mind.